“Ugh. I was worried you’d say that,” she says, and I feel wetness then.
“Kiska, don’t cry.”
“I was so scared.”
I kiss the side of her face. “It’s all fine. I’m fine,” I promise. “Do I look okay?”
She pulls back, such love on her face. “You’re gorgeous.”
I laugh. “I don’t have teeth.”
She waves me off. “Nope, they’re gone. But you’re a hockey player, so it’s okay.”
I give her a gummy grin. “Is my face broken?”
“Small hairline fracture on your nose, but your teeth took the brunt of the hit.”
I nod before pointing to my leg. “What about that?”
“Torn MCL. The surgery was long.”
I make a face, which stings a little. “How long am I out?”
She glares. “Who cares? You need to heal.”
I shake my head. “Harper, how long?”
She looks broken as she whispers, “It’s possible you won’t play the rest of the season.”
My heart sinks into my stomach as I shake my head. “Well, that’s some shit.”
She lays her head on my chest, and I tangle my fingers in her hair. “Don’t worry. I truly believe you’ll get back on the ice sooner rather than later. I’ll work with you, go to everything. I got you.”
I cup her face. “Thank you. But I’m not worried. I’m just hoping you still love me after a while.”
She pulls in her brows. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I’m a huge baby when I’m hurting, and I’m sure I’ll be annoying as hell.”
Her lip wobbles as she reaches out, pinching my chin. “I don’t care. I’m not leaving your side.”
“No?”
She shakes her head. “Never.”
She leans up, kissing my lips, and I hold her there. When she pulls back, I stare into her eyes. I’m convinced there is no woman I could ever love more. And while I want to believe her, I don’t. She’s a busy chick, and I’m sure she has better things to do than sit and nurse me back to health.
She proves me wrong, though, because she never leaves my side.
I stay at the hospital in St. Louis for several days before I am able to go back home. We’ve played more games of Uno than I thought she’d ever have the patience for. I even started letting her win. She worked while I slept, she entertained me, and she made sure to keep my parents updated every step of the way. Harper was a godsend and, honestly, my saving grace. There were many times I wanted to give up because the pain was too much, but she wouldn’t let me. She was patient, she was encouraging, and I didn’t think I could love her more than I already did.
Bryan Fisher, Elli’s uncle and the owner of the team, sent his plane to bring me home, so it will be a nice ride back to Nashville. I’m pretty sure Harper pulled those strings, since Bryan doesn’t do that for anyone else. I am already comfortable, but I let Harper fuss over me and make sure I’m settled. When she sits beside me, she pulls out her phone and sends a few texts. I assume they are to my mom, hers, and Elli.
“I wish I could text.”
She looks over at me. “Do you need your phone?”
“No. I can’t text, remember? Bad English.”
She smiles. “Well, we’re about to have a lot of downtime. I’ll teach you.”
I reach over, taking her hand to keep her from texting. She looks back at me, a small smile on her face as she threads her fingers through mine. “I’m texting your mom and dad that we’re on our way home.”
“I know, but I gotta tell you something,” I say, bringing her hand to my lips. “I love you, Harper Allen.”
She beams over at me. “I love you.”
I kiss her hand once more. “I want us to move in together.”
She nods. “I figured I’d just come to you since it would—”
“No, I want us to find a place together. Our home.”
Her lips part a little as her eyes search mine. “Our home?”
“Yes, ours. I want to plant our roots, kiska. I love you, and if these last few weeks proved anything, it’s that I don’t want to be apart from you unless I have to be.”
Her eyes start to water a bit, and she nods slowly. “I want the same thing. It only took you tearing your MCL and losing your teeth for me to realize I never want to be apart from you, Jakob.”
I pull her to me, and her mouth is right there for the taking. “I’d go through all the pain over again and again just to hear you say those words.”
She kisses my top lip. “I love you, Jakob.”
“Oh, kiska, I love you more than I could ever imagine.”
We’re Doing This Together
Harper
“Elli?”
I yank my keys out of her door as Adler, her fat as fuck pug, comes running for me. The word running is used lightly. He thinks he’s fast, and Elli feeds into his confidence. Those two are two peas in a pod. One would think Shea would speak the truth, but I feel he’s feeding into Adler’s false sense of security too.
“Elli?” I call out once more as I set down her mail. We went out the other night, and I get it, we’re getting older. But it isn’t good when you’re still in bed three days after the drunken night. I’m worried it’s worse than Elli lets on. She told me to leave the soup and new meds at the door, not to check on her, but I could hear in her voice she wasn’t good. I head down the hall, and I hear her moaning something along the lines of “Go away,” but I don’t pay her any mind. I’ve been dealing with a wounded bear of my own. I knew I loved Jakob, but if his injury taught me anything, it was that I really love him. Like, with my whole heart.
That asshole.
Lord, he complains about everything. He is never comfortable. I’ll give it to him, it’s hard to get around on one leg looking like a damn pirate, but when he acts like a hard-ass in front of Shea or his buddies, I don’t want to hear that shit. He’s been a thorn in my side. But it’s funny… I don’t trust anyone else to care for him. It was a shock to me too; I never saw this coming. This all-consuming love. Alas, Jakob’s got me locked in.
When I round the corner into her bedroom, I find her, facedown, with her hair everywhere. I can tell by the color of her skin that she isn’t good. “Elli?”
I go to her side, but through her hair, she says, “Harper, I told you to leave everything at the front. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” I point out, noticing all the Gatorade bottles and the trash can that has vomit in and around it. I tuck my phone into my back pocket before setting her soup on the nightstand along with one of her meds. The others weren’t ready. “Same as always? Everything hurts?”
“Everything,” she groans, covering her face with her blanket. “Just go.”
“Let me help you shower.”
“No, I’m fine.”
I look around at her room, the condition she’s in, and my body vibrates with anger. “Elli, how long has this been going on?”
“Just two days, I promise.”
“Where is Shea?”
Even with the blanket covering her face, I can see her brow furrow. “I don’t know. I haven’t talked with him on the phone, just texts. Why?”
“He should be here taking care of you.”
Still with a face full of confusion, she drawls out, “Why? I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You’re having an episode. Does he even know this is happening?”
She doesn’t answer me as I reach down to get the trash bin. I’m almost to the bathroom when she says, “Just go. I’m fine.”
“Damn it, Elli! If you tell me you’re fine one more time, I’m gonna kick your ass. You’re not fine. You need someone to sit with you. I didn’t even realize it was this bad.” I clean out the trash can in the tub and put a new bag in it before heading back into her room. “I mean, I don’t even like people, and I would want someone to help me puke in the right place. Is this even gonna come out of the carpet?”
It doesn’t look like it will to me, but it doesn’t seem like Elli gives a shit. “Who cares? Leave me here to die.”
Yup, she’s sick. “No, Elli. Seriously, either you call Shea, or I do.”
She actually sits up, and I can tell it make her nauseated by the way she clutches her blanket. She takes in a deep breath, and my heart aches at the sight. Her skin is a nasty white, and she has dark circles around her eyes. This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last, and still, it kills me. Very sternly, she says, “He cannot see me like this. He will dump me on sight.”
I squint at her, unsure what I am hearing. “Are you insane? You’re sick—and not even with a communicable disease. I know the dude, and I doubt he would do that. He’s gonna be madder you didn’t tell him the truth.”
“I can’t let him see me like this,” she says adamantly.
“Elli, if he can’t see you like this, then when can he? When it’s time to move in together, he’s gonna see it. What are you going to do? Hide?”
She falls back into her pillows, obviously weak. “No. I don’t know. Just go.”